SALEM, N.H. — The tone was set for “The Battle of Route 111” midway through the first quarter, courtesy of Windham’s Rob Durkin.
The junior came flying into the backfield off the left edge, blowing past the right tackle, and delivered a massive hit to Salem quarterback Van Mason for the sack, drawing a collective gasp from every spectator at the Blue Devils’ Grant Field.
“That play that my boy Rob Durkin, No. 51, absolutely laid the boom on the quarterback,” said teammate Brooks Batson. “That really got me pumped up. We were going nuts. That really showed that we were here to play.”
If there was any doubt about that message, Batson reaffirmed it just five plays later, as the defensive lineman plowed through the middle of the offensive line, leaving a blocker sprawling in his path, for another crushing sack.
Durkin and Matson did it all, from inside and out, leading a dominant defensive effort in Windham’s Saturday 17-0 win over rival Salem.
Batson, an edge (outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid), recorded two sacks and eight tackles, while Durkin added 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery on another play and six tackles on the steamy afternoon.
The result of that dominant one-two punch? The battered and bruised Blue Devils were limited to just 175 yards of total offense for the game — including just 84 rushing yards for the game and 64 total yards in the second half.
“A lot of people have underestimated us this season,” said Durkin. “We finish plays and we play hard. I always feel like I can come up with big plays and make big tackles, so I was ready. I just wanted to deliver hits and play to the whistle on every play.”
While Batson and Durkin were an absolute force on Saturday — as the Jaguars scored their second straight shutout — first-year head coach Matt Lee wasn’t sure how either would factor into the equation as the preseason began.
In fact, Durkin wasn’t listed in the team’s preseason preview.
“Rob is a kid that, we came into the year not really knowing if he was a linebacker, because he’s about 175 pounds,” said Lee. “But he’s just so fast off the edge. He has elite speed. We saw that in scrimmages. We realized we had to get him closer to the line and not back at middle linebacker. He’s been so good for us.
“Brooks is a similar player to Rob. He works very hard in the weight room. He’s not your prototypical defensive tackle. He’s not 275 pounds. But he’s great with his hands, he has good feet and he’s fast and strong for his size. We have small guys that can get after it.”
Both statements proved true on Saturday. Salem — which was missing seven starters by the time the game ended — crossed the 50-yard line just twice. Both ended in turnovers on downs — the first on a fourth down sack by Batson and the second on a sack on fourth by Durkin.
After allowing 56 points in its first two games, Windham (2-3) has now allowed just seven points during a three-game winning streak.
A message has been sent to the Granite State.
“We came out here and really played our hearts out,” said Batson. “I’m all about intensity but I also studied Salem all week and I knew every move they were going to make. Our physicality has been on another level. We play our heart out every single play.”
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